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PR(08)62: Iceland fails to incorporate five regulations on feed additives and one regulation on the use of ginseng

29.10.2008

The EFTA Surveillance Authority has decided to deliver six reasoned opinions to Iceland for failure to incorporate fiveregulations concerning the authorisation of feed additives[1]and oneregulation on the use of ginseng as a veterinary medicinal product.[2]

Feed additives are products used in animal feed to improve, for example, the characteristics of the feed or to make the feed more readily digestibleand thereby improve the animal’s performance. Only authorised feed additives may be put on the market.

To protect public health, limits are set for residues of veterinary medicinal products in food of animal origin. In the case of ginseng it was decided that it is not necessary for the protection of public health to establish such a limit. Therefore, EEA States may not prohibit the marketing of food of animal origin, originating in other EEA States, because it contains residues of ginseng.

The five regulations on feed additives should have been incorporated into the internal legal order of Iceland by 8 December 2007, while the regulation on the use of ginseng should have been incorporated by 29 September 2007. In all cases, the Icelandic government has stated to the Authority that it had not yet taken the necessary measures to incorporate the Acts because of delays in the translation of the Acts into Icelandic.

Delivering a reasoned opinion is the second stage in infringement proceedings. The EFTA Surveillance Authority may bring the matter before the EFTA Court if Iceland fails to take satisfactory measures within two months of receiving the reasoned opinions.

[1]Regulation 497/2007 concerning the authorisation of endo-1,4-beta-xylanase EC 3.2.1.8 (Safizym X) as a feed additive, Regulation 516/2007 concerning the permanent authorisation of an additive in feedingstuffs, Regulation 537/2007 concerning the authorisation of the fermentation product of Aspergillus oryzae (NRRL 458) (Amaferm) as a feed additive, Regulation 538/2007 concerning the authorisation of a new use of Enterococcus faecium DSM 7134 (Bonvital) as a feed additive and Regulation 634/2007 concerning the authorisation of selenomethionine produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC R397 as a feed additive.

[2]Commission Regulation (EC) No 287/2007 of 16 March 2007 amending Annex II to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2377/90 laying down a Community procedure for the establishment of maximum residue limits of veterinary medicinal products in foodstuffs of animal origin, as regards Ginseng, standardised extracts and preparations thereof